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Since Barbuda is so isolated, and transport can be tricky, one great way to explore the island is with the Barbuda Express Day Tour. The trip, which costs around $160, takes in all the island’s major sites. These include a boat ride through the frigate bird sanctuary, exploring the east-coast caves that’s walls are covered in ancient Arawak drawings, and a fresh lobster lunch on one of Barbuda’s famed and secluded pink sand beaches. This same company also runs a once-daily catamaran ferry between Antigua and Barbuda. The trip takes 90-minutes. Boat trips depart from the ferry landing in the harbor in Codrington, the only village on the island. Also in the vicinity of the ferry landing is the 56ft-high Martello Tower, which is a former fortified looking out station that resembles an old sugar mill from a distance, and makes for a classic Barbuda photograph.

Handmade quilts top pine beds in the 37 cabins of this 1920 lodge in Grand Teton National Park. Horseback rides, cycling excursions, and epic views of the Teton Range are all part of the experience; lucky travelers might spot elk, bald eagles, and osprey. A hearty breakfast spread and a decadent five-course dinner (mushroom tarts, grilled haloumi cheese, cumin-dusted lamb) are also included in the price. For an additional cost, guests can raft 10 miles down the Snake River or take a multiday wildlife photo workshop.

Pastry chef Kelly Fields does complicated things with simple ingredients at her modern bakery and eatery. It’s part of the restaurant group overseen by local star chef John Besh, so it’s no surprise that it’s drawn nods from the James Beard Foundation, among others, for its delectable biscuits, corn bread, and more-involved dishes like crawfish and grits. Located in the sleek new district of mid-rise condos and apartments a couple blocks north of Lafayette Square, Willa Jean makes a great spot for a lazy breakfast or brunch—reservations are all but essential on weekends. It’s local knowledge that it’s also open for dinner and that the quality at that time of day remains high, with varied delicious dishes like braised lamb pasta and beer-can chicken (plus, it’s easier to get in).

Housed in what was once a church rectory, this eatery is named for the iconic enclosed amusement park right next door. The theme of the shabby-chic decor is functional recycling but with creative, amusing twists: School desks, century-old park benches, an assortment of mismatched chairs, a gigantic chandelier made from beer bottles, and a staircase fashioned of crutches are just some of the ways familiar objects have been given a second life here. Meet your cholesterol quota for the month with the amazing shared appetizer pan de campo, a large round loaf of bread hollowed out and filled with melted cheese.

Salzburg’s 17th century Baroque cathedral, built upon a site where cathedrals have stood since the 8th century, is connected with St. Peter’s church and the Residenz by arcades to form a cluster of Salzburg’s most important structures.

Inside is not entirely different from other major cathedrals, with beautiful artwork, ornate carvings and a selection of relics (Virgil, Rubert and Martin of Tours among others). Most notably, however, is that it contains the baptismal font used for Salzburg’s most famous resident, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It rests on four lions which, being designed at a time when very few knew what an actual lion looked like, resemble something more like a beastly bulldog than king of the jungle.

Al-Fanar Islamic Cultural Center is one of the most widely known architectural landmarks in Doha. In this wedding-cake shaped building, non-Muslim visitors are offered extended as well as crash-courses on the Islamic faith. It offers a variety of educational, yet unforgettable, activities, such as exhibitions, tours of the cultural center, visits to the mosque, Arabic language courses and the unique opportunity to attend the khutbah (Friday sermon) in English. The center is happy to meet the visitor before the prayer to explain mosque etiquette, the dos and don’ts.

Gordon Ramsay, the celebrity TV chef, has created a cult in Doha with his stately manor-decorated restaurant, Opal. From the carpet, to the food, to the servers, Ramsay’s establishment never fails to woo its patrons. True to its relaxed, bistro-style dining, Opal offers its guests a lavish Friday buffet with treats for everyone, live music, and breath-taking views from the Opal Terrace. QR 350 ($96) per person with soft drinks QR 450 ($123) per person with enhanced beverages Every Friday | 12:30pm - 4pm For reservations please call +974.4446.0105 or email [email protected] Overlooking the turquoise waters of the Arabian Gulf, Opal by Gordon Ramsay Doha is a restaurant where food is not meant to be simply eaten, but experienced. Friday Brunch aside, Opal offers an ever-changing menu influenced by Mediterranean cuisine, regaling its guest with a sophisticated and abundant variety of canapés on the house while the guests’ orders are being prepared. The menu is simple, fresh, flavorful, and the bistro-style space for the gourmet pizza station adds a traditional, yet sophisticated, flare to the place. Opal has turned hamburgers into works of art with classics such as the Opal Wagyu burger, which has become Opal’s signature. To accompany the menu, Opal offers an impressive Sommelier’s selection, one of the largest collections in Doha.

I’m not one to skip breakfast, especially in Italy, where thoughts of cappuccino, pastries, and local ham tend to rouse me early from slumber. But on my first morning at the Hotel Sant’Angelo, in the old quarter of Matera, I was having a hard time dragging myself from the creature comforts of my cave. Staying in a cave, it turns out, can be surprisingly pleasant. There was just one small window high overhead, but the room and adjoining bath were in no way dank—a testament to the natural ventilation that keeps the caves cool and comfortable. The wavy contours of the white tufa-rock walls conjured a feeling of being enveloped in some primordial womb. Yet there were modern amenities: luxurious linens, Internet service, a telephone. Fred Flintstone never had it this good. I might have snoozed until noon, were it not for an impatient mate eager to see the sights. We had arrived in the village the previous night after a long drive across the treeless plains of the Basilicata region, located at the instep of Italy’s boot. Matera is an enchanted world of Stone Age splendor. Known as the sassi (Italian for stones), the bisque-colored hilltop cave homes comprise one of the oldest continuously inhabited places on earth, according to UNESCO. The caves have provided shelter for more than 7,000 years. A millennium ago, shepherds inhabited them and carved churches into the rock; during the Renaissance, the area prospered and elaborate buildings were carved out, the excess tufa sculpted into ornate facades. By the early 1900s, the sassi had fallen into neglect. Families and their animals crowded into the caves for warmth, and disease was rampant. When writer Carlo Levi brought this tragic state of affairs to light with his 1945 book Christ Stopped At Eboli, the Italian authorities moved residents en masse to modern housing—leaving the sassi abandoned, save for the occasional crew brought by film makers (Pier Paolo Pasolini and Mel Gibson among them) in search of a biblical-looking backdrop. It was only in the 1990s that the Italian government encouraged people to move back. Residents revamped the cave dwellings as homes, restaurants, and inns. When the Sant’Angelo opened in 2004, it was the area’s first luxury hotel. The 19 cave rooms are sparsely but tastefully appointed with rustic wooden furniture. Some carved decorations—crosses, hearts, an owl—date back hundreds of years. Fossilized shells embedded in the walls reveal that the region once lay underwater. Eventually, my fiancé and I did emerge from our cave to wander the town’s ancient alleys. A local guide named Dora Cappiello took us into some of the 150 chiese rupestri (rock churches), where she pointed out wine troughs and frescoes of San Nicola, the patron saint of local shepherds. We also visited a cave dwelling that had been restored to resemble its state when the caves were equal parts manger and living space.
Simple, delicious meals punctuated our explorations. The curvy walls of Baccanti, a cave restaurant, created a private nook where we feasted on silky pappardelle pasta with a cinghiale (wild boar) ragu, accompanied by a dry, fruity red aglianico from the nearby Vulture wine region. Tired and sated after a full day, we headed back to our cave—on moonless nights, a flashlight or trail of bread crumbs is advised for the stumble back to the hotel—where the promise of a deep, sound night’s sleep awaited. —Amy Cortese Hotel Sant’Angelo, 39/0835-314010, from $211 for a double. This appeared in the March/April 2010 issue.

It’s a sign of just how revered Carl Linnaeus is in Sweden that for many years many people had a picture of him, and his garden, in their pocket. That’s because the botanist, who is famed for creating the two-name system for classifying plants and animals, adorned the 100-krona banknote for many years. It’s easy to visit the garden where he did his research, as the town of Uppsala can be reached in less than 40 minutes by train. The garden was originally laid out in 1655, then redesigned by Linnaeus in 1745. You can also visit his former home, now the Linnaeus Museum. As for the banknotes: In 2017 Linnaeus was replaced by Greta Garbo.

Ollantaytambo’s namesake archaeological site is one of the best examples of Incan architecture in the region. It’s easy to spend a half day exploring the temples and other structures there, especially if you factor in time to hike up beyond the ruins. Meanwhile, the quaint town itself remains much as it was in Incan times, with original houses, streets, and waterways. Some buildings are open to the public, offering a fascinating glimpse into a centuries-old way of life. Most Machu Picchu–bound trains leave from the station here.

K-Beauty is big business, and Olive Young, one of Korea’s most popular beauty shops purveys products not only from Korea, but France, the US, and Japan among many other locales. This cavernous emporium sells lip balms, nose hair scissors and everything in between. A visit to this buzzing temple of beauty is never a dull moment, as fresh-faced Koreans pour over myriad products promising to whiten and brighten, moisturize and de-frizz. At the hopping Myeongdong location, shoppers can experiment with cosmetics in the Get It Beauty Zone, sample over 40 scents at the Perfume Bar, and break for a snack in the K-Food Zone. 53 Myeongdong-gil, Jung-gu

Few things are gratis in Amsterdam, where you’ll probably pay for your own meal even on a romantic date. But Seasons restaurant gives new meaning to “going Dutch” with a two-for-one Early Bird Special. Set on a pretty side-street off the Herengracht, the cozy bistro is in the heart of the canal belt, near Amsterdam’s Jordaan. The menu features international cuisine, with fare like Indian Chicken Tikka Masala, Asian-inspired Miso Salmon, rack of lamb with mint pesto sauce, and an “inside-out” Beef Wellington. Even Holland is represented in the culinary tour, with a thick pea soup starter. The “buy one get one free” special is offered Monday–Thursday, 5–6pm and Friday–Sunday, 4–6pm. In addition to lowering your bill, it ensures you’ll be visiting when the restaurant is at its romantic best, before the dinner crowd arrives en masse around 8pm. Reservations are required for the Early Bird Special. Reserve online and arrive 15 minutes early to take advantage of it.

When in Lisbon, most tourists make a beeline to Antiga Confeitaria to try its world-famous pastel de Belém. The legendary custard tart is indeed delicious, especially when dusted with a healthy dose of cinnamon, but what these travelers don’t know is that is that the ones at Manteigaria are just as good—if not better. Plus, Manteigaria features an open kitchen, where you can watch the creamy treats make their way from dough to delivery. Avoid the crowds in Belém and get your pastel de nata here instead, then ride out your sugar rush nearby on the atmospheric Praça Luís de Camões in Chiado.

Mexico City’s mammoth cathedral was built across three centuries (1573–1813)—starting soon after Cortés and his allies vanquished the Aztec Empire—using stones taken from a destroyed indigenous temple. Today’s sanctuary serves up contrasts between unadorned neoclassical walls alongside exuberant gilt chapels and altarpieces as well as a massive pipe organ, with some baroque elements, that’s still dusted off and played from time to time. Be sure not to miss the high altar, and consider shelling out for a visit to the sacristy, with its glistening dome, grand canvases, and massive cabinets, fit to hold an archbishop’s entire stock of holy utensils. And for a queasy view of how much the ground beneath the city is sinking, note how chandeliers appear to list in comparison to the chapel’s vertical lines.

Set in a row of shophouses—traditional double-use structures with a storefront on the street level, the owner’s residence on the floors above—the New Majestic Hotel is a small gem in Chinatown filled with quirks and contrasts. Colonial design is plentiful, from the vintage Compton fans in the lobby to furniture from the 1920s–1960s throughout. The rooms are a little more free-form. They range from suites with their own urban gardens to attic-style spaces with loft beds and 20-foot ceilings. Then there are the five rooms in which Singapore artists were told to unleash their creativity (Work, one of these rooms, looks like temporary housing, with plywood sections everywhere). Pieces by local emerging artists include murals with hidden messages or displaying pop art influences. The bottom of the rooftop pool has small portholes that look down onto the Majestic Restaurant, one floor down.